A blog about beauty, with a dash of art.

Tag: face

Today I’m reviewing the most bizzarely-named product in my cupboard: the Hell Pore Clean-Up Mask by Korean brand Elizavecca. I found this bonkers thing in one of my favourite little Korean skin/cosmetic shops in the Auckland CBD, and the minute I read the name I knew I had to have it, despite results. Luckily for me, it works.

Elizavecca is a brand I’ve been interested in for a while, mostly due to the carbonated cleansing mask I keep hearing about (and have found on amazon, but am resisting). This one belongs in the same range as the clay one – the MilkyPiggy range, which I think is the little pig fella on the packaging. This range is supposed to be super effective at removing dirt, hence a pig is used (’cause pigs.. spend time in dirt, I presume?), and I can tell you that this mask in the range most definitely does that. The information I have found says this about the product:

” A peel off mask that effectively removes skin impurities in just one use. This mask gets rid of whiteheads, blackheads and dead skin cells all over the face to free the skin from deep-seated dirt that clogs the pores. This mask contains 4% charcoal extract and caragana sinica which help control excessive sebum while also providing an abundant supply of nutrients to keep the skin healthy and glowing all day.” –Memebox

But how does it actually fare?

This is a whole new level of peel-off mask – very thick, very grey and VERY strong. It takes a bloody long time to dry so in that time you should prepare yourself, because when time comes to grab the edge and pull your eyes will water. This stuff sticks to your face about as strongly as spirit gum, and on first application smells just like the nit stuff my mother used to gas my scalp with when I was a child. It’ll pull out tiny hairs on your face, sebaceous filaments (not necessarily a good thing, but harmless) and all the shit on your face that you thought you’d already got off. Unfortunately, it also dries out your skin a fair bit, so I followed it up with Clarins Hydra-Quench cream-mask, but so long as you moisturise appropriately (or for drier-skinned people, use a hydrating mask like I did), you’ll be fine.

My skin is left clear, smooth as a baby’s butt and pretty much perfect for quite a while – you’ll not be needing any other clarifying masks for a fair few days with this one, and I’d suggest going easy on any exfoliation as you’ll have pulled more dead skin off your face than you knew you ever had and it will be a bit sensitive. While it most definitely lives up to it’s claims of dirt/crap removal and sebum control, I’d certainly hesitate to say it provides “an abundant supply of nutrients” to the skin. I found it very stripping on the skin, but that much is to be expected when you’re using something called a ‘hell pore clean-up’ mask, I suppose – you’re getting a lot more from this than any clay mask.

Repurchase? When I use this up, I’ll buy another tube of this crazy mask – nothing else has ever cleaned my face so thoroughly, and although it’s very rare I need to use it, it would be ace for anyone with excessively clogged skin.